Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow’s participation in a Perkasa-linked rally yesterday has landed him in the soup with various quarters, including the aforementioned Malay rights group.

Teng said Perkasa has sent him a fiery text message chiding him for his remarks on Malaysiakini yesterday, that he would not have attended the rally if he had known about their participation.

“U think Gerakan candidate can win without Malay Perkasa voters? Perkasa members can stay at home where Gerakan contest. No problem. Tq. Sec Gen Perkasa,” Teng showed the text message sent to him this morning.

“I did not reply to the message,” he added, reiterating that he would not have attended the event involving some 5,000 people at the Speakers Square yesterday if he had known of Perkasa’s involvement.

Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow was unhappy that he had attended a rally in Penang which involved Malay rights pressure group Perkasa.

A visibly irate Teng told reporters that he would not have attended the rally had he known of Perkasa’s involvement.

“If they want to claim that they organised this, what can I do? I’m already here,” Teng said when asked why he was attending the event.

“If they want to sneak in, what can I do? I would not be here if I knew Perkasa was part of it,” said Teng, who is also the Penang Gerakan chief.

Teng was among the BN leaders spotted at the Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu Pulau Pinang at Padang Kota Lama, organised by 120 NGOs, including Perkasa.

As of 3pm, some 3,000 BN supporters were at the scene. Many of them boarded about 60 chartered busses to attend the event. According to Penang Umno Youth chief Shaik Hussein Mydin, some 2,000 motorcyclists from the mainland also participated in the event.

BN, Pakatan reps move to bury May 13 ghost

By Zurairi AR

December 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 — Malaysia will never again witness another bloody racial clash like the May 13 tragedy, Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians gave an assurance today, finding common ground in their rejection of Datuk Ibrahim Ali’s latest tirade against the Chinese.

Despite acknowledging Ibrahim’s claim to be pro-BN, leaders from the ruling pact were quick to distance themselves from the Perkasa chief, whose latest rhetoric included a threat that May 13 could repeat if the Chinese grew more powerful.
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MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said that instead of helping BN, Ibrahim was doing the pact a “disservice” by spewing more racially-charged remarks.
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MIC vice-president Datuk SK Devamany, “He needs to be careful in making these remarks … the Prime Minister is bringing the 1Malaysia concept, the concept of unity … these kind of remarks will make some citizens angry.”
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People’s Progressive Party (PPP) president Datuk Seri M. Kayveas rejected Ibrahim’s view, saying the Malay rights leader had gotten his history and concept of Malay empowerment post-May 13 wrong.

PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang,“Ibrahim has got the ‘tiga suku’ (crazy) notion of history … Everybody knows that May 13 happened because of the split in Umno, it had nothing to do with the Chinese.”

Super-racist Perkasa (Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia) is a non-governmental Malay Supremacy organisation formed in the aftermath of the Malaysian general elections in 2008. Outsiders estimate the organisation to have less than 1000 members mostly consisting of political desperados who failed to win posts in UMNO. But this group is given tacit support by UMNO for the latter’s survival.

The major objective for establishing Perkasa is to “defend the rights of Bumiputera”. Perkasa is said to be fighting and defending the rights of the Malays which they feel are being “challenged” by non-Malays in Malaysia.

Many critics though have branded Perkasa as a fascist organisation. On July 9, 2010, the group was labelled “militant” by a former US Ambassador to Malaysia.

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IBRAHIM ALI CRIES “WOLF”

Malaysian Insider

Growing Chinese clout may cause new May 13, says Ibrahim Ali

By Clara Chooi
Assistant News Editor

December 14, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 ― The Chinese community will become a national security threat if it grow more powerful politically and economically, Datuk Ibrahim Ali has said, even warning that this could result in another bloody racial clash like the May 13 tragedy.

The Perkasa chief said in a Sinar Harian interview today that the Chinese have been playing up political sentiments of late and accused the country’s second-largest ethnic group of having forgotten how living in Malaysia is “like heaven”.

“What if there is chaos? Like during the May 13 incident, they could not proceed with their trade.

“We, too, do not want that to happen,” the outspoken Pasir Mas federal lawmaker was quoted as saying in the article.

“Today, the Chinese are okay…but it’s not enough… they want more. Now, they control 40 per cent of the country’s economy, and now, they want political power as well,” Ibrahim continued.

“But what will happen in 25 years from now? Today is okay, but tomorrow, when their power spreads, then it will threaten national security and the May 13 incident will return,” he warned.

Ibrahim, or “Tok Him” as he is often called, has positioned himself as the firebrand for the Malay agenda and the face of Perkasa, the Malay right-wing group he founded just after the 12th general election in 2008.

But his fiery rhetoric and often racially-charged remarks have regularly put him on a collision course with non-Muslim politicians across the political divide, despite claims from the opposition that he has the backing of the ruling Umno.

Despite this, Ibrahim insisted in the Sinar Harian interview that none of what he has done or said in the past should qualify him for the “racist” label, even boasting that not a single police report has been lodged against him for being “racist” throughout his tenure at the head of the four-year-old Perkasa.

Dec 13: Dec 13: Christmas is about a fortnight away but the chief of UMNO offshoot Perkasa, Ibrahim Ali, is already humming the much loved “You Better Watch Out” song.

He has proudly declared that he would be the ‘kingmaker’ in the 13th general election.

“You can say I am the ‘kingmaker’ but Perkasa has over 300,000 members. In state seats, we have at least 300 to 400 members or more than 1,000 members. In parliament seats, we have 3,000 to 4,000 in each district, so our votes are important,” he was quoted as saying by Malay daily Sinar Harian.

As such, the fervent UMNO loyalist and Pasir Mas member of parliament has this warning to all political parties:

“Don’t only think that votes from others are important, and Perkasa is not important,” he said, and went on to invoke the Malay saying “yang dikejar tak dapat, yang dikendong tercicir” (lit. “The pursued is not acquired, the held is dropped”).

The right wing group, which has yet to prove its membership strength other than the dozens of members who turned up for a ‘walk’ in 2011 to counter the mammoth Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur, will be holding its fourth annual congress this Saturday.

According to Ibrahim, while Perkasa is neutral in politics [sic], it has for the sake of Malays decided to support Barisan Nasional.

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Free Malaysia Today

Denounce Perkasa clearly, Najib told

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has demanded that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak direct the police to take stern action against Perkasa for its violent behaviour and make an unequivocal statement withdrawing Umno’s support for the Malay rights group.

In a strongly worded statement against racial extremism, Lim also said the Prime Minister must order Sri Gading MP Mohamad Aziz to make an unconditional apology to Berish leader S Ambiga for his call for her to be hanged.

“Najib should prove that he respects Indians, Hindus and women by directing Mohamad to apologise,” he said.

Najib’s failure to take these actions would prove him unworthy of his own 1Malaysia slogan, he added.

The failure by police to immediately arrest Perkasa members involved in violence not just against members of the public and reporters but also make direct threats against my personal safety has only confirmed fears that Perkasa can do no wrong because they are supported by UMNO and BN.

Police should review their hands-off approach towards Perkasa to avoid public perception that they condone the violent tactics by Perkasa to intimidate PR leaders.

Yesterday’s incident in Teluk Bahang market, where Perkasa members were allowed to conduct a demonstration and throw anti-Lim Guan Eng posters close to me, only shows that whilst there was police presence the police just stood by and watched.

The inaction by the police probably emboldened a Perkasa member to suddenly charge up behind me and succeeded in brushing hard against me. Even though the Perkasa member had brushed hard against me, I escaped injury.

But if not for a PR local leader bravely dragging the Perkasa member away, I could have been injured. Dragging the Perkasa member away from threatening my safety should have been the duty and responsibility of the police, not PR local leaders.

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This unfortunate incident had happened even though the Speaker of the Penang State Assembly, Dato Abdul Halim bin Hussain had informed police of the demonstration by Perkasa and ask for adequate protection and stern action.

However despite a record of serial violence against the public, reporters and even PR leaders by Perkasa, Perkasa can still behave in a violent manner without fear of punishment.

Monday July 2, 2012

CM questions police failure to stop unruly Perkasa men

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed disappointment over what he claimed as police failure to stop Perkasa members from causing a commotion, which resulted in a scuffle during his visit to Teluk Bahang here.

“They were not only violent towards the public and reporters but they also made threats against my personal safety.

“The police should review their hands-off approach towards the group to avoid public perception that they condone the violent tactics,” he said in a press statement yesterday.

Lim claimed that Perkasa members were allowed to hold a demonstration and throw posters at him on Saturday during his walkabout at the Teluk Bahang market.

“Police inaction probably emboldened a member to suddenly charge up behind me and brush hard against me. I managed to escape injury only because a local community leader managed to drag him away,” he added.